Tennis star Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, has suffered a severe hand injury as a result of a home invasion in the Czech Republic.
The No. 11 ranked women’s tennis player in the world was at her apartment in the city of Prostejov — around 160 miles from Prague — when a man reportedly entered her home under the guise of checking an electricity meter. He then pulled out a knife and started to attack her.
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Kvitova, 26, tried to defend herself and sustained slashed tendons and fingers on her left hand.
The suspect fled the apartment, stealing £155 in the process. He remains at large.
“The attacker was a man aged around 35 years, his identity is unknown and he is on the run. Police are working to determine what happened,” a police spokesperson said, according to CNN.
Karel Tejkal, a spokesman for the Czech Fed Cup team, said “it looks like it was a random act and not a planned action.”
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Kvitova, who also won the bronze medal for her country at the Olympics in Rio this past summer, was taken to a hospital in Brno for treatment. Her injuries aren’t life-threatening, but the impact on her tennis career remains to be seen, as she plays left-handed.
A statement on Kvitova’s Facebook page reads, “As you may have already heard, today I was attacked in my apartment by an individual with a knife. In my attempt to defend myself, I was badly injured on my left hand. I am shaken, but fortunate to be alive. The injury is severe and I will need to see specialists, but if you know anything about me I am strong and I will fight this.”
